Uganda says US tourist is free from abductors
American tourist Kimberly Sue Endicott and her tour guide, who were ambushed and kidnapped Tuesday in Uganda, were rescued and are in good health, Ugandan authorities said Sunday.
The country’s government and police announced their rescue by security forces on Twitter without addressing whether a ransom was paid.
“The duo are in good health & in the safe hands of the joint security team,” the Ugandan police tweeted.
The kidnappers fled the scene when security forces moved in, according to media reports.
Endicott, from Southern California, was visiting Queen Elizabeth National Park alongside Congolese guide Jean Paul Mirenge when they were abducted at gunpoint by four men who used her cellphone to contact authorities and demand a $500,000 ransom, Ugandan police said.
Endicott and Mirenge were on a safari with a Canadian couple when the gunmen accosted them, robbing the 78-year-old Canadians but leaving them behind. The two Canadians notified the camp manager, who rescued them.
A massive search-and-rescue effort was launched.
President Donald Trump was among those hailing the safe release of Endicott and Mirenge, tweeting, “God bless them and their families!”
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the American government does not pay ransom for its citizens.
At an event Tuesday for families of U.S. citizens held captive overseas, before news of Endicott’s abduction was released, Pompeo said he understands relatives’ anguish, but paying ransom would lead to more kidnappings.
The State Department released a statement Friday saying, “Whenever a U.S. citizen is taken captive abroad, we work tirelessly – in partnership with local authorities – to secure their release and get them home safely.”
Endicott, who owns a small skin-care shop in Orange County, arrived in Uganda on March 29 and on the next day flew to the park, a sprawling wildlife refuge more than 200 miles west of the capital city of Kampala.
Queen Elizabeth Park is Uganda’s most popular tourist destination and is generally safe, but the western edge borders the Democratic Republic of Congo, home to several rebel groups.